I've been driving with DSC deactivated (mostly freeway driving) lately and noticed the car is more responsive.
When coming to curves and winding roads I turn it back on (especially when the wife is in car). I did a search on this subject and found nothing.
Nerwyll, feel free to chime in since this is your avatar . Also DTC mode use. Which mode is used during "launch assist" (for non-SMG?). Thanks.

 

I think a better question would be: "Who doesn't drive with their DSC OFF?"

 

 

There is no launch assist for any non SMG. Gotta just stand on the brake and rev it up.

For everyday driving I just leave all the traction control on. But for the sunday drive in the twisties, the DSC is off!!

 

I only turn it off when I'm going to shift hard and am planning on running.

 

+1. I did a two-day school in SC (using 330s) and one exercise they do is an emergency lane change at 40 MPH, once with traction control on and once with it off. The difference really is amazing.

 

Please elaborate and tell us more...

 

+1 on the driving school. I also took the 2-day school but did it at the California Speedway in 06. That emergency lane change exercise was fun at 40mph. I agree with you about doing the lane change w/DSC on and off. With DSC and traction control on, you're definitely able to recover better, especially in the excercise where you have to get back into your orignial lane after the obsticle.

BUT... I then went to the 2-day M-school at the California Speedway in 07, and that really taught me how to control a vehicle with DSC off!! After taking the M-school, I can do the same emergency exercise at 50mph with DSC off and still recover back into the same lane. And this is being done in an M5, not a 330. The key to it... 1. vision 2. quick steering 3. throttle control - "don't lift off the throttle to zero input"

Another great exercise at the M-school was the figure 8 skid pad with DSC off in the M5. That really teaches you about weight transfer, throttle control, counter steer and the theory that "your hands turn the wheel to where you look". Plus it looks awesone when you're hammering 2nd gear around 6500rpm and you drift around a figure 8 with smoking tires!!!

So to all my e60 brothers and sisters... do yourself a favor and go to the M-school. Well worth the money, you get to thrash the hell out of the new M models, improve your driving skills, plus you get tons of cool stuff. They put me up for 2 nights at mission inn hotel in Riverside. $100 dinner certificate provided every night. Breakfast every morning. Catered lunch everyday at the track. Sick ass M-school jacket. M-school shirt. M-school racing duffle bag. Helmet. Helmet bag. And this is the coolest part - the DVD. Inside every car, they had a video system that records the vehicle information like rpm, trajectory, speed, etc. And the video also recorded a frontal view and a separate driver view so you can see your inputs on steering and shifting. Check it: http://www.racekeeper.com/

 

With traction control on it's really easy to move from one lane to the other and maintain 100% control. With DSC off, and the same control inputs, I ended up doing a 180 and wiping out a whole bunch of cones. That, and I almost went off the track.

It's amazing how quickly it happened; one second I was making the lane change, and the next I was looking out the windshield at the instructor that until recently was behind me, asking me (on the radio) "So - what do you think of DSC?"

 

I did the two-day regular M school this May - you're talking about the advanced one, right? I thought that one was all track time, but it sounds like you did some off track stuff too (lane changes, figure eights). I was going to do the advanced school, but I decided to use my vacation time next January to do a one week liveaboard dive boat instead; maybe I'll do the advanced M school later in the year.

My experience mirrors yours - the fun factor... and the swag. We used M5s, M6s, the new M3, M coupes... the whole shebang. I recently got my DVD back, and I hate to say that I can't watch it. Oh, the thing works fine, but all I can think about is the things I'm doing wrong. I don't know if we did the lane changes with DSC off, though.... can't remember. We did do the figure eights, but on a wet track as part of a "rat race" in the M coupes.